0.4.3 is live! This latest update is packed with gameplay improvements. Sophia, one of the four main protagonists, is now live and available to everyone! Complete Sen’s Wreck quest as Amy to unlock Trystan and Sophia.

NPCs have been given some much needed TLC, with newly added variety added to their arsenals and improvements made to make them more responsive and generally an enjoyable challenge. It’s not just the NPCs that have new tools at their disposal either. You can now make use of handy distraction rocks to lure curious threats away.

This update also features a variety of essential crash fixes, hanging save-game solutions, performance improvements and gameplay fixes.

Take a look at a number of improved and added locations across the map. Speaking of maps, plan your route using much clearer redesigned map icons.

Developer Comment:
It is highly recommended to start a fresh game as some mechanics, craftables and items may be bugged or not be available if using out of date game save files.

NPC Updates

General Changes

• Human NPCs no longer stop fighting back while being staggered from a melee attack
• Human enemies will now spot targets faster when their enemy is close.
• NPC subtitles now only show if the character is in audible range of the NPC
• Increased speed which human NPCs will unholster their assault rifles
• Human NPCs now alert each other of threats much better
• Human enemies now react to projectiles that land near them
• Various NPCs audio disturbance fixes and improvements.
• Fixed issues causing human NPCs to be unresponsive when hitting them with melee weapons, especially if they were not on alert to begin with.
• Fixed issues preventing human NPCs from reacting properly if they were hit with a projectile from a distance too far away.
• Fixed errors relating to the camera and NPCs.
• Fixed human NPC’s damage not being calculated correctly. New rebalanced damage values have been applied.
• Landing an arrow from a bow near hostile NPCs is less likely to fully alert NPCs compared with a bullet
• Fixed NPCs being able to do melee attacks though walls and closed doors.
• Fixed and cleaned duplicate calculations running for NPC behaviours. Removed various obsolete/unnecessary status checks from AI logic.
• NPCs now respond to distraction objects, e.g. rocks
• Decreased knock-back time of NPCs after melee causing unresponsiveness.
• Fixed problems preventing directional knock-back animations playing properly.
• Fixed NPC melee attacks lasting too long in some cases, meaning the player can be hit after the swing has finished.
• Fixed NPC spawners taking longer than expected to spawn if some of the NPCs belonging to that spawn had already been killed.

Hazmat Changes

• Fixed Hazmat enemies being able to shoot while also struggling after being shot in their back canisters
• Fixed Hazmat enemies in white suits having their feet sunk into the floor.
• Dropped ID cards from Wanted Hazmat targets now appear as Hazmat bags while on the floor.
• Fixed NPCs weapon optics hovering in the air and not despawning.
• Fixed NPCs not shooting back sometimes if standing on a high area without direct access to a reinforcement alarm

Xile Changes

• Added new Xile types to spawns. Some Xiles will now use firearms or melee weapons.
• Arrows now despawn quickly when shot into the player character to prevent them from acting as a blocking object between the player and NPCs.
• Fixed situation where Xiles would shoot their bow without drawing back
• Fixed main circumstance causing Xiles to keep their bow's drawn for long periods of time without shooting.
• Increased accuracy of NPCs with bows
• Added new melee attack vocals to Xiles.
• Partial improvements to Xile hit boxes.

Disturbance System & Hordes

• Disabled disturbance meter and infected hordes - This is currently the main cause of frame rate freezes caused by a bottleneck on the CPU. Additionally, infected often fail to spawn properly (they often get stuck in roads and other objects). At the moment, the negatives of this system are outweighing the positives, so it has been taken out until significant improvements can be made.

Nests

• Active nests will now display on the map until they are burnt out.
• Fixed infected nests that are destroyed with fire arrows not rewarding character with character integrity.
• Fixed infected nest map icons not being removed when a nest deactivates by natural causes.

Added

• Added a new supply drop system, this is the first pass and has more features to come.
• Added new throwable rocks which can be used as a distraction to lure enemies.
• Added new foliage to the ocean floor.
• Added motion cameras to high loot areas.
• Added ST-RV scanners to high loot areas.
• Added new work-in-progress train repair and storage location (with a secret).
• All waterfalls have been updated with a new water system.
• Added fur simulation to Sam the dog.
• Added new SFX to building parts when placing, upgrading and destroying building parts.
• Added new controls for the third-person camera. Scrolling the mouse can now increase or decrease the camera’s distance from the character.
• Character camera now moves in closer to the character when under cover, like being inside a building.
• Added new armed guards situated around the Hanouten Safezone.

Updated

• Sophia Riggs is now playable by everyone. Character is unlocked with other available characters after completing the Sens Wreck quest at least once.
• Halloween Event concluded.
• Weapon safe codes are now completely randomised on every session.
• Weapon safes now randomly spawn with different weapons, ammo and attachments upon opening the safe.
• Weapon safe puzzles create random codes for safes.
• Updated Hydro Station visuals and added an active safe puzzle.
• Updated Survivor Camp in Bleaksley with visual updates and layout. Further improvements coming soon.
• Hanouten Shipwreck has moved location and has received some visual improvements. Updates are in preparation for future wreck diving.
• Updated Bleaksley Airfield visuals and layout in the main hangar.
• Updated player map icons. Original icons are now more readable. New icons added for other map features. Player location is now clearer.
• Respirators now recycle to Plastic and Filters.
• Filters now recycle into Cloth and Charcoal.
• Water collectors and barrels can now be emptied.
• Some persistent placed weapons will now only spawn depending on the chosen start scenario.
• Updated environment around Backwater Beacon east exit.
• Improved lighting on safe-camp campfires and burning barrels.
• Player-placed map markers can now be renamed and be assigned a colour.
• Quest marker icons have been updated.
• Additional player markers can now be added to the map.
• Left-clicking on map markers will now bring up additional information.
• Improved quest objective HUD display visuals
• Reduced the amount of ammo available at traders
• Trader price and amount of ammo available has been balanced in line with the required material cost to make the ammo.
• Updated trade system to prevent exploitation where you could buy and sell the same items to the trader to increase reputation.
• Molotov Cocktails (x5) now cost: 1 Methz, 5 Cloth and 5 Empty Glass Bottles.
• Wicks Repair Kit now costs 500 Scrap, 1 Oil and 1 Mechanical Part
• All static placed firearms have been removed from around the world.
• Improved visuals at Wick’s living apartment and store.
• Improved crocodile audio including added attenuation.
• 9v Flashlight now depletes 3x as quick
• Updated material shaders on NPCs in safezone.
• Improved bounding boxes for placeable actors. Items can now be placed tightly together.
• Vehicle parts now also require a mechanical part to repair.
• Firearm weapons now require oil to repair.
• New extra large weapon crates have been added that have a chance to spawn uncommon firearms but do require level 8 lock picking.
• Small munitions/military crates now require level 2 lock picking and now have the chance of spawning military grade backpacks.
• Rebalanced hydration decay numbers which affect hydration decay based on low stamina (tip - running your stamina out consistently results in higher hydration cost).
• Sprinting now drains more hydration proportional to walking/jogging.
• Rebalanced Hydration decay in line with stamina, which was causing higher than expected decay rates.

Performance & Optimisations

• Removed unused camera elements contributing slightly to CPU costs
• Optimised CPU usage of camera elements on vehicles, beds and crocodiles
• Additional crunching of textures on NPC models and landscape shaders to improve GPU memory usage.
• Non-vital wandering NPCs have been replaced with improved static versions in the Hanouten Safezone.
• Optimisations made to lighting of burning barrels.
• Improved performance when starting the game.
• Implemented update to NPC spawns to mitigate lag spikes.
• Replaced nonoptimal waterfall particles with a new optimised waterfall system.
• Optimised various checks happening on animal NPCs relating to animations.

Fixes

• Fixed common cause of a fatal error which could happen when starting the game after choosing a start scenario.
• Fixed items on player's back in first-person clipping with the camera after vaulting.
• Fixed issues preventing trees from being chopped down
• Fixed choking on spores effect never ending if character gets into a vehicle while choking
• Fixed character sleeping one hour short of specified sleeping time.
• Fixed xredder not saving the recycled items correctly causing it to duplicate items.
• Fixed supermarket loot spawner making loot disappear due to the spawn-zone being too small
• Fixed issues causing Wrench, Water Pump or Sheriff’s Keys duplicating on loaded saves.
• Fixed Supply Quests being marked as complete before collecting the reward.
• Fixed quest chains breaking before handing in a scavenger quest.
• Fixed picking up scavenger items over the limit of required items causing quest to complete without handing it in.
• Fixed situations causing currently active noticeboard quests to reappear on the board.
• Fixed notice board quests not saving and loading correctly.
• Fixed locked shortcut bar disappearing after death/respawn
• Fixed losing integrity from neutral items taken using the vicinity tool
• Fixed difficulty taking the outfit out of the chest of drawers next to the bed in the Backwater Beacon medical center
• Fixed quest markers not being removed after completing an objective or quest
• Fixed notification text forcing icons off screen.
• Fixed quest objectives stacking oddly after taking new quests.
• Fixed not being able to build at any of the boat houses.
• Fixed some save files causing the game to hang on the loading screen indefinitely.
• Fixed situation causing infestation quests to be incompletable if leaving the NPC's spawn area part way through the quest
• Fixed Wanted quests not spawning a ID card to pick up if the player leaves the NPC's area after killing their target.
• Added tentative fix for sticky shift when entering inventory and trying to drag a full stack only to get half the stack.
• Fixed stealth takedown camera being in the floor.
• Fixed jittery crocodile motion while moving on land.
• Fixed NVGs switching off in first person temporarily while the player performs animations (jumping fences, reloading etc)
• Fixed crafting a bow in a workbench adding the bow in the player's hands physically, but not in the bow slot. Weapons are now exclusively added to the workbench’s inventory.
• Fixed issue where dialog could cause the HUD to be hidden.
• Fixed using escape or tab to exit a trade window leaving the HUD hidden.
• Fixed arrows shot by enemies blocking the third person camera if the arrow hits the character in the head.
• Fixed map icons disappearing after dying and revisiting the location.
• Fixed issue where water collectors could not be picked up.
• Fixed issues where running would increase the players hydration
• Fixed some placeable actors that could not be placed on anything other than directly on to the landscape.
• Fixed getting XP for placing items in a chest.
• Fixed many waterfalls not being generated.
• Fixed picking up a medium chest giving a large chest in the inventory
• Fixed issue with scenario items not being disabled on selected scenarios.
• Fixed issue where smithy bench would vanish.
• Fixed harvesting from animals near the safezone costing integrity.
• Fixed items placed in world containers disappearing after new loot is generated.
• Fixed supply drops not despawning. They will now despawn every three in-game hours.
• Fixed icons showing incorrect cross symbol on supply drops.

Known issues & outstanding changes

• Game is missing left-handed support.
• Swapping an item with a Jerry Can in the fuel slot on the quad causes the other item to be placed in the fuel slot.
• NPCs can have ‘black beams’ coming out of their eyes when running the game using FXAA
• Various performance related issues
• Pressing keys to type on the Bug Report screen also controls the game behind it. UI needs to have sole focus on the player's inputs.
• Baseball bat was three times the size after swapping from an p90 to the baseball bat while running from the Infected.